Wakeboarding!!!!
Panoramic View of our 7 mile hike in Big Bear!
The Alpine Slide!
There are 2 pet ducks at the Pleasure Point Marina. They let you pet them and are seriously the cutest!
Charlie & I at the Alpine Slide in Big Bear!
Another gorgeous hiking view.
Intense hiking faces!
Climbing a big rock.
Harry, we’ve reached the top!
Charlie & I after a sweaty Sunday workout!
Now…..how do I convince Charlie that we need to move to Big Bear??? (seriously….)
It’s that time of the year where the hype of New Year’s is over, spring is upon us (although here in L.A. I’m pretty sure spring is still sprung from last year) and everyone is starting to think about vacations. Is it just me?!
Dana Point circa….2007?
My birthday is on Monday. My birthday was always around Spring Break when I was in school, so maybe that’s why I think of vacations. Who knows! Regardless, I was thinking about where I want to go on my next vacation. I do light traveling throughout the year, but sometime this year, I want to take a REAL vacation. Like, longer than a weekend and not to my hometown. I feel like there are SO many places that I want to go, so it’s been hard to narrow it down. Thoughts so far: Seattle, Cabo San Lucas (been there but want to go back), Alaska, Washington D.C/New York, or Chicago (I have family there). HELP ME PICK A VACATION SPOT!
Okay, moving on...this week has been a whirlwind. I drove back to L.A. from Phoenix on Tuesday. I was actually making AMAZING time until I hit this
Lovely Los Angeles Traffic
I definitely knew I was home…
Tuesday’s workout at my old stomping grounds was awessssooommmmmeee. I did some heavy squats, push-ups with dumbbells and a rotation, chin-ups, walking lunges with a barbell, kettlebell swings, and snatches. My glutes are definitely feeling the soreness from it! I always like to kick my ass (literally) right before a long car ride. It makes it easier to sit in a car for 6 hours.
Other random pictures from my trip back to AZ
Lux Cafe Central
Tuesday morning we stopped by Lux Cafe in Phoenix. My dad is always going on about it, so I finally tried it. The verdict? In the words of Chris Farley…It.. was… AWESOME! The coffee was realllly good and the egg white sandwich I got was even better! I devoured it in .9384 seconds as seen below.
Twas an egg sandwich from heaven
It had fire roasted tomatoes, egg whites, and cheese on an english muffin. Best egg sandwich of my life right there. Worst looking photo of my life right there. Balance, people.
We also made a pit stop at See’s candy. My dad’s girlfriend introduced me to their Butterscotch lollipops this weekend. Let’s just say it’s a new addiction. The bright side is that they are only 80 calories and take about 30 minutes to eat just one. Therefore, I deem them the PERFECT treat.
Samples? Yes, please!
I’ve been working like crazy since I got back and haven’t had a ton of time to blog, but I AM planning on shooting some videos for the blog in the next week….so I ask you this…
Specific Exercises? Full Workouts? Certain body part focused workouts? How To’s on form?
Let me know in the comments please!!
Traveling always makes me lose track of the days and times. This weekend, I was in Arizona spending time with my family. I’m here until Tuesday, but I’m feeling like I have no sense of anything! Strange how that is.
Thursday was spent driving, so I took it as a rest day and left it at that. By Friday, I was itching for a workout. I didn’t have much time, so I created my own workout in my dad’s living room.
5 Rounds of:
-10 Squats
-5 Push Ups
-10 Jump Squats
-15 V-Ups
-10 Jumping Lunges
Afterwards, I did 3 sets of:
-15 Wide Stance Squats (holding my laptop bag filled with cans of beans as a weight!!)
-10 Burpees
This workout took me about 15 or 20 minutes and was the perfect heart rate boost/sweat sesh. You really can get a great workout ANYWHERE!
On Saturday morning, the boyfriend and I headed to the gym for a workout. We did a mixture of Deadlifts, Pull Ups, Glute Kicks on the Reverse Hyper, and DB Military Press. We finished off with a burner using the sled. It was pretty killer and we were both WIPED afterwards.
Monday: Home Workout (Probably similar to what I did Friday)
Tuesday: Full Body Workout at the gym
Wednesday: CrossFit + Rock Climbing
Thursday: Heavy Lift + Boxing
Friday: 15 min. HIIT + Rock Climbing
Saturday: CrossFit
Sunday: Hike
This is tentative and likely will fluctuate a little bit, but it’s where I’m starting.
And for your viewing pleasure, some photos from the last few days!
AZ Sunrise
My little bro and I 🙂
Beautiful Mountain Scenery
My babe and I in the mountains!
Feeling thankful this weekend for the people in my life. Life is a crazy road and lately it has been testing me, but I’m just taking things one day at a time and making sure I take care of myself. Eating healthy, working out, working hard, and enjoying the moments.
What are you MOST thankful for?
What are some ways you “slow it down” when you’re feeling overwhelmed?
Hey all! I hope everyone had a safe and happy new year’s! Mine was really low-key and I’m totally fine with that. I’m battling a nagging wisdom tooth today and doing whatever I can to try to relieve some of this pain!
Holiday Recap
This holiday season had me in Kansas with my boyfriend and his family. It was also pretty low-key and while we did do a bit of shopping and running around, there was also a lot of down time as well. We spent time with his family, shopped, cooked, baked, played games, went to a Chief’s game (in 9 degree weather!!!!!) and relaxed. With two full time jobs that have me running around Los Angeles every day, it was a real nice change of pace. It snowed for a day or two, but after that the weather was pretty clear.
I enjoyed the break and am finding it difficult to motivate myself to get back into the swing of things. Eek! This is a problem considering all of my pending projects that I’d like to accomplish in the coming months!
Exciting News
I wanted to share some exciting news with you guys!! While in Kansas, I only had a access to a gym for one day. The rest of the time, I was able to create some super-effective workouts that were done in the living room with NO equipment. I even got the rest of the family to join in for some of them. I can tell you that they were some really TOUGH workouts, but they were easily scalable and took anywhere from 15-45 minutes. I am also happy to report that I actually LOST a pound while on vacation. Of course, the scale doesn’t mean much to me, but I do use it from time to time just to know where I’m hanging out. It truly is JUST a number and not a true representation of anything, but it can be a guide to see where your body tends to stay and what makes it fluctuate most.
Anyways, with that said, I couldn’t help but think that I’m not the only person to go on a vacation and not have access to a gym. It can be awkward to ask to borrow a family member or friend’s car to go to the gym, and the day passes can be costly. While this has been in the making for quite some time, I finally decided to put together an e-book called TravelFit that will include workouts you can do ANYWHERE with NO equipment required along with some healthy snacking/meal tips for when you’re on vacation or out of your normal routine. It should be available towards the end of January and I cannot WAIT to share it with you all!
The e-book will include:
-15 different workouts that can be done ANYWHERE with NO equipment required
-Healthy Snacking/Meal Tips for when you’re out of your normal routine
-Ways to scale any workout to make it easier and/or harder, as well as to accommodate any weaknesses
Weeee!!! I hope you guys and others will enjoy this! It’s something I’ve been putting a lot of effort into over the past few months and finally putting it together has been really fun for me!
Thanks for a great year! While I didn’t post quite as much as I’d hoped, one of my goals for 2014 is to change that. I’m focusing on making some changes in my life in the near future and blogging regularly will be a part of that change.
Did you travel anywhere for the holidays?
How do you keep your fitness goals in sight when you’re on vacation?
Okay, first thing is first.
There are PURPLE BELL PEPPERS?!?!?! I had no idea. I stopped by the local Co-Op after my run today and happened to see this little guy. There was no way I could walk out of the store without it, even though they were $4.99/lb. When in Rome. Or Santa Monica. Is this something the rest of the world knew about?!
Speaking of my run……today I hit a BIG P.R. for myself. Ever since I started working out/running back in 2006, (I’ve never been just a runner and it comes in waves) I’ve always wanted to hit a sub 24 minute 5k. The goal is finally in sight and I’ve been training hard for it. (Oddly enough, most of my training comes in the form of plyometrics and weight training, but another topic for another day. I still run once or twice a week.)
I have a 5k trail run/5k mud run (they’re back to back and I’m completely stoked about it) coming up next month, so I’ve been really pushing myself.
Since I was out of town the last few days (I’ll get to that in a minute), I’m trying to play catch up on my training. I was planning on doing a long-ish run today, but once I started going, I realized how good/fast I felt. I changed my training plan on the spot.
My first mile was 7:48. I’m an 8:15-8:30 runner normally, so this was my first sign that good things were coming. Keeping this up for two miles isn’t too hard for me, but I typically hit a wall at around mile 2 when I’m running this pace. As I hit my 2nd mile and realized I still felt decent and was coming in under 16 minutes, my competitive face went on and I decided I was going to hit 3 miles in under 24 minutes no matter what.
That 3rd mile was tough. The first half of it was hard, but manageable. The second half is where it got rough for me. I started getting feelings of “oh shit I’m gonna puke” mixed with “holy shit i can’t breathe” mixed with “ouch, my lower back hurts”. But I honestly didn’t care. If my hip went out and I puked all over the place while losing all oxygen to my brain, I was just not going to stop. I can be dangerously competitive at times and this was one of them. Had someone walked into my path, I would have absolutely shoved them down and felt no remorse. I promise i’m not normally that evil. 🙂
As I hit mile 3, I heard the little lady on my Map My Run app tell me that I had run 3 miles in 23:47. I immediately went into party dance mode in my brain (still trying not to puke at this point) as I pushed for the last tenth of a mile. I hit 3.15 miles in 24:10. Ma-jor-vic-tor-y!!!!!!
While I didn’t hit the PR I’m hoping I get on race day, this was the first time I’d ever run 3 miles in under 24 minutes. And for that ladies and gentlement, I’M STOKED!!! The second accomplishment in this run was that I didn’t actually puke. High fives are welcome.
As I posted on Facebook, if I accomplish nothing else this week, I’m totally fine with that. But as we all know, this confidence boost is going to push me to conquer the world this week. Majorly awesome day. 🙂
So back to that vacation. A few months back, I purchased a smokin’ deal for a hotel in Vegas. I love little getaways, and when I can do them cheap, it’s even sweeter!! My man and I hit the road Wednesday and spent a few days laying by the pool, playing Blackjack, eating ice cream, and walking the strip in search of….nothing. All in all, Vegas is pretty boring when you’re not a partier and don’t want to spend a gazillion dollars on shows. I do like playing Blackjack, but I tend to lose money, which I don’t like. Either way, a few days off with my man is always a good time!
Our room at the Aliante Casino & Resort (not bad for $40/night)
On our way back to LA, we stopped in Calico. I have a weird obsession with ghost towns (and really anything abandoned or ghostly. actually anything weird for that matter), so we made a last minute decision to check out the town. If you’re ever in that area, it’s a fun little stop. It’s a bit commercialized for my taste (lots of gift shops/food stores), but the history there is pretty cool and you can pay $2 to walk through an actual mine. Freaking awesome. The views aren’t too bad either!
And just for some cuteness overload….my awesome nephew. He can already tell at almost 9 months old…his aunt Lizzy is crazy. 🙂
Hey!! I’m back from California! I had such a great time.
My ex-roommate (:-() and I left early Wednesday morning. She moved to LA and I was just coming along for the ride. We had a good, funny couple of days and then I was off to San Francisco to meet up with a friend and hang out there!
It was my first time in San Fran and I am so glad I went. I booked the flight because it was cheap and I’ve always wanted to go, so why not?!
We got in Friday night and headed to the house we were staying at. It was a 3 story flat and they lived on the 2nd story. It was such a cool place! The interior was gutted and upgraded, but the house still held it’s history.
My favorite thing about San Francisco is that it has SO MUCH history. I am realizing more and more how much history Phoenix doesn’t have. It is such a new place in comparison to a lot of the California cities.
Saturday we hung at the house and they had a party and cooked oysters, then Saturday night we went on a Booze Cruise in the bay. Sunday, my aunt picked me up and she took me to see the Haight, Castro Street, The Mission, Crissy Field and a few other places in the city. Such a great trip! Too short, though. I definitely need at least a week to take in everything the city has to offer! Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure 😉
Golden Gate Bridge from Crissy Field
The Boat we took through the bay
Me in Crissy Field. Jesse in the background flirting with some chick haha
The view from the house I was staying at! The water to one side, and the entire city view from another window. Amazing!
View of the city from the water. So gorgeous!! Pictures don’t do it justice at all.
Prep Update:
Although it was tough, I held strong on my vacation and ate my meals. I had to pass up a lot of tasty food, but I still had a blast!! Everyone was very understanding of my crazy food habits, too. I was also able to get a couple passes to a nearby gym for the weekend, so I just would do that early before everyone else woke up. No excuses!! I’m a little over 9.5 weeks out! Single digits baby!!! So excited. Working on getting my hotel and driving arrangements done, and getting my suit altered and finalized.
Hope everyone has a great Monday!!!
Wowza I’m exhausted today!!
Yesterday was a looooong day. It started with a Back Workout at the gym:
Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns
Close Grip Seated Row
T-Rope
One Arm Row
I kept it simple, since this was my second back workout of the week. Monday’s back workout was mediocre at best, so I wanted to hit it again. I feel redeemed 🙂
I ran a few errands and got my TRUCK WASHED(this happens 2-3 times per year, so it’s kind of a big event ;-)) and then headed to Pinnacle Peak to RUN the mountain. This was my first time ever running it, but a trainer at my gym was going and invited me. It was actually much easier than I thought, but still a great cardio workout. There was some downhill running, which I don’t really condone since it can be really hard on your knees, but I made sure to use my feet as shock absorbers as much as possible. My knees feel fine, so I think I did okay. I worked and closed the gym last night and pretty much passed out as soon as I got home.
Boot camp
Today’s boot camp was tough. We warmed up with 3 sets of: 5 bleachers, squats on the way down, “plyometrics”(I use that term loosely because although some of the things we do are plyos, some of them aren’t i.e. pushups, dips, etc. ) in between and then a run through(you run up and down each set of stairs and then around the bleachers.) We did this 3 times and THEN hit the track for the rest of the boot camp. Tough stuff, but I feel awesome now.
Worky work
I’m not at work at the supplement store all day. I’m working 9-5 today, 12-6 tomorrow at the gym, then opening the gym at 4am on Monday. I can’t wait to take a nap Monday afternoon. Wednesday I’m heading out with my roommate to LA(she’s moving!! :-() and then flying from there to San Francisco for the weekend. Working hard so I can play hard 🙂
Have a great weekend!
